A Sin is Born
by LeFay Strent
Summary: When the Homunculi are one sin down, Father creates a new human-based Sloth. However, she is impure by their standards. Soul merges with sin, creating a being the likes of which has never been seen. None know of this, not even herself for the truth has been locked inside of her far beneath the surface. But soon…pieces will rise to the surface. And they will make all the difference.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**A Sin is Born**

Never had the saying 'wrong time, wrong place,' rang more true. For one individual, a series of innocent incidents would end life as she knew it.

Central held many unassuming civilians, all of them ordinary to some and unique to others. She too was viewed the same way. Nothing out of the ordinary could be said about her. A young woman, no younger than eighteen, her long, dark hair swaying around her like a veil that shimmered with the moon's light. Her eyes a warm brown, holding no emotion other than preoccupation as she took in the scenery of Central's busy streets. Her height slightly taller than average, her build made up of lean muscles that knew the gratification of a hard day's work. Plain clothes that complimented her tanned figure.

Yes, she was just another pedestrian you passed on the sidewalk. A somebody, a nobody, a person that shared a tiny piece of this world. A person with her own goals, her own purpose. The same as anyone else.

It could have happened to anyone else. She was just the unlucky one.

An absence of mind here, a wrong turn there, and she had become lost. It was so easy to lose direction in the cloak of night. Shadows crept closer, made more threatening by the late hour. It unsettled her, causing her to mistake her path again. Minutes passed, fellow citizens became farther, the darkness grew more ominous, and her worry escalated. It did not take long for her to begin seeing monsters where there were none, causing her to become careless in her desperation to find familiar ground.

She wasn't paying attention as she passed the empty construction sight. Her feet hit a patch of unstable floor, and the rest she couldn't quite remember. She had fallen, and when she awoke it was so very dark. Harsh smells assaulted her nostrils and made her throbbing head ache fiercely. The surface around her felt grimy, making her recoil. In her addled state, she could not fathom what was going on, where she was. She did not know she was underneath her beloved city, in the bowels of something tainted and sinister...

Several calls for help later and she heard something in the distance, a growl that echoed off the obscured room's walls. More growls followed the first. Panic sent her heart aflutter and she ran, not waiting to learn what made the terrifying sounds. Her sprained ankle made no difference, her bleeding concussed head the least of her worries. What mattered was getting away, back to safety.

She couldn't have known that she was running towards the true monsters.

They had found her not far from their gathering, practically on their doorstep. She had eventually collapsed, the running and her head injury becoming too much for her. Her eyes were closed in an unnatural sleep, her breaths hitching with every other breath. The sins looked upon her crumpled form, some with indifference, some with annoyance.

"Bring her closer," Father commanded, gesturing lazily with a hand.

Envy complied, picking her up with all the gentleness of a wild lion. He dropped her not far from Father's feet.

"What, you have something in mind for her?" the androgynous homunculus asked. "Or can I snap her little neck?"

"It is unusual that a human has come this far," Lust commented, glancing down at her bald companion. "Don't you agree, Gluttony?"

"Yes, yes. Even humans know not to come down here," he nodded, a manic grin forming as he looked the girl over like a starving man did a juicy steak.

"How'd a pathetic girl get past the chimeras? What do we have them around for if they can't even serve their purpose?" Envy scowled.

"In light of recent events, this may work to our advantage," Father announced, rising from his throne. "We are lacking in numbers."

Envy gave an incredulous glance at the girl, "Her? Really?" Father simply nodded, causing Envy to scoff, "Whatever. As long as she gets the job done."

And so Father proceeded with the process of making a human-based homunculus. Ever since Sloth was destroyed, they were in need of a new sin. It had not been long ago, giving Father little time to decide what to do about the matter. With an opportunity landing in his lap such as this, it was no wonder he took full advantage of it. Human-based Homunculi were faster to create and less taxing. And this human did not appear to be a bad candidate. She was in fit condition and showed promise by making it this far. She would do.

Injuries from her fall mended. Sun kissed skin paled, the color bleeding away as a powerful force erupted inside of her. Unconsciousness could not hide her from this agony. Screams burst forth from her writhing, changing body. Her eyelids snapped open, seeing the world for the last time as a full-fledged human being. Humanity seeped away exchanged for a deep pit of indolence. The mark of the Homunculi, the winged serpent eating its own tail in a never ending cycle, formed on her right shoulder blade in a red glow. Memories were eaten away into a black hole inside of her, leaving nothing of her former self.

The process complete, she fell silent, her eyes closed in relief. Breaths, once labored, came and went with ease.

"Come Sloth. Take your place among us," Father beckoned, the three other present Homunculi watching and waiting.

Ailed by a fatigue that would never fully go away, her eyes slid open slowly revealing purple irises and slit pupils. She viewed the world for what felt like the first time, scanning the faces around her. Things were fuzzy to her now, but these were the faces that would fill in the blanks for her. They would explain what her purpose was, guide her through this awakening.

A new sin had been born, the homunculus Sloth. Little did any of them know that she was impure by their standards. The process had not fully washed away her former self. In the deepest levels of her existence, soul merged with sin, creating a being the likes of which had never been seen. None knew of this, not even herself for black arms had locked away the truth inside of her far beneath the surface. All she could feel at the moment was her namesake, as she would for quite a while.

But soon…pieces would rise to the surface. And they would make all the difference.

* * *

**I don't know why I keep starting more stories. I've got enough as it is. Truthfully, I've been planning this one for many months but had been holding off, hoping to finish one of my other stories... But a few days ago I couldn't stop thinking about this story and it began to write itself in my head and I had to let it out before I went crazy...er... And now I'm really pumped to write more on this. Don't know when the next chapter will be posted, but know that it's what I'm working on at the moment. ;)**

**So this story will be about an OC homunculus. Not a made up sin, but an OC as a canon sin (which I don't think has been done before, but correct me if I'm wrong). I never thought I'd write an OC story where the OC is a homunculus because so many people do it and it's gotten cliché, but I'm going to try my best to make this as un-cliché and original as possible. That's why I didn't come up with a new sin. Plus, I just couldn't imagine her as anyone other than Sloth so I didn't bother. And yes, the basic plot can technically be "homunculus goes good" but not really. It's _soooo_ much more complicated than that. There will be major confusion on her part and I'm gonna try to focus on the fact that it's a _homunculus_ merged with a soul, which isn't as seamless as all that. It will be a rocky road.**

**Review if you please. And if you do, I wanna know what homunculus _you_ would be. Not which powers you like the best, but which sin you best personify. I myself would be Sloth. It's not that I'm only lazy. I'm the worst procrastinator _ever_. I look at everything and think, "I'll do it later." And then later becomes two weeks...**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**The Shift**

Days passed, nights came and went, and nothing changed for the longest time. I didn't care for the most part. Everything became a monotonous blur. Work. Sleep. Work. Sleep. Dig. Dig. Dig. So tired, but I didn't protest. Protesting would be too much effort. Father wanted to pick up where my predecessor left off: digging the god forsaken tunnel underneath the country of Amestris.

This was my purpose. My reason for existing. Why I had been created.

I could do the work just fine, given my considerable strength. I could have completed my task faster had I chosen to use my speed to its full potential. But that was too much effort as well. My arms were strong and firm as I swung into the dirt, but my eyelids often slipped closed. I succumbed to naps often. I couldn't help it. Sleep was a powerful temptation I could not resist most times. However, after a short reprieve I would wake up and return to my work.

Dig. Dig. Dig.

Sleep.

Wake up.

Dig. Dig. Dig.

And the cycle continued.

I still wasn't sure what all of this was for, what Father planned. I knew only that the damned tunnels would soon be complete. I would count the days until completion but keeping up with that many numbers was a hassle. Better to let myself not think about anything.

Dig. Dig. Dig.

Sleep.

Wake up.

Dig. Dig. Dig.

I hadn't seen much of the others, or anyone outside of my kind. The faces I'd seen consisted solely of Father, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, and Pride. Wrath and Greed were still strangers to me, although I've heard mentions of Greed being locked away. I'd probably heard things about Wrath too but Greed's case stuck out in my mind more because it had seemed strange. He had gone against his purpose and was being punished for it. Very strange, but even that weighed a mere ounce in my mind. It was hard to retain information, especially when you didn't care. Caring was an effort I didn't care for.

Dig. Dig. Dig.

Sleep.

Wake up.

Dig. Dig. Dig.

I'd been at this for so long now. I hadn't left the tunnels since I'd begun digging. I just wanted to be done. I wanted to sleep and never wake up, because if I woke up…the hole would still be there.

Dig. Dig. Dig.

Sleep.

Wake up.

Dig. Dig. Dig.

It's like there's something missing inside of me, taken by a black hole. It's constant, always sucking in whatever it can find despite there being nothing left to take. I don't know if there was ever anything for it to take in the first place. It's been there since I woke up the very first time.

Dig. Dig. Dig.

Sleep.

Wake up.

Dig. Dig. Dig.

I don't like it, the hole. It's…frustrating. If I were any other sin I would deal with it in a different way. If I were Greed or Gluttony I would try to fill the hole with worldly possessions or food. If I were Lust I would drown the emptiness with physical endeavors. If I were Wrath I would shout and use violence to vent out my frustrations. If I were Pride I would never acknowledge the hole at all because that would be a sign of weakness. And if I were Envy I would despise all the others for not having to deal with this emptiness; I would want to destroy them all so they couldn't have that happiness.

Dig. Dig. Dig.

Sleep.

Wake up.

Dig. Dig. Dig.

But I am Sloth. All I want to do is sleep the emptiness away. When I go to sleep, I pray that I won't awaken to feel the hole again. But it's there, every time without fail.

Dig. Dig. Dig.

So tired…

A crumbling in the ceiling broke me out of a doze. Dirt caved in from somewhere behind me and a loud thud shattered the relative silence. High pitched, yet soft…_sounds_ reached my ears. I wasn't sure what they were, just that they belonged to the thing that had interrupted my sleep. Bothersome. And they didn't stop.

"I'm going to have to turn around, aren't I?" I murmured to myself. The walls of the tunnel bounced my whisper back and forth in the tunnel, alerting the presence behind me. It quieted, then let out a shaky, "Hello?"

My brow furrowed in confusion. I gave up and turned around. Rays of light poured in from the hole above, shining the purest light I'd ever seen. I'd never been to the surface before but I'd be willing to bet that this was sunlight.

It was so warm…

Another pitiful sound drew my attention to the bottom of the cave. He reminded me of Pride, a small boy. And yet, this boy was far different than Pride. This boy…was human.

I cocked my head to the side, staring at him. Did all humans look this small and breakable? Surely not. This was because he was young, correct? They grow as they age. This boy had many years ahead of him before he was my size. Water formed in his big blue eyes.

Tears… He was crying…

My mind wandered for a moment, wondering what it was like to cry, why someone would cry in the first place. Humans cried because something was hurting them, but it seemed like a lot of work to produce tears. You already had to deal with some form of pain. Too much work involved…

He called to me again and something struck me about the child. He was so…vulnerable. Those strange sounds were whimpers, like a call for help. He held his ankle, tears streaming down his round face. His knees and elbows were bleeding. And he was staring at me expectantly… Maybe he needed to go to sleep? Maybe he didn't know this? Envy said humans were stupid creatures, and the younger ones had to have had less experience. Was he silently asking me to show him?

Too much thinking…

I stepped over to him and sank to my knees. I didn't know what to do. Sleep was always a possibility. Maybe he would learn by example…

"Who are you?" the boy asked. He sniffled, clutching his ankle, "What are you doing here? Did you fall too?"

Too many questions…

Releasing a deep sigh, I answered, "They call me Sloth. My purpose is to dig tunnels. I've never fallen."

Something crept in the recesses of my mind, confusing me for a minute. There was something…familiar. I remembered the feeling of falling, but couldn't recall when the action took place. I knew the feeling of an injured ankle, but had run until it became too much for me. I had run because of…darkness and…

I scratched at my scalp, shaking myself from the deep thoughts. That was taking too much energy to pursue. I'd let sleeping dogs lie.

"I…f-fell," the child whimpered, glancing down at his ankle and back to me. Again, expectantly. "Mommy doesn't know I ran off. She told me not to go too far…but I didn't listen." More tears formed. "I want my Mommy."

I stared dully at the boy. Mommy? That was another word used for mother, correct? A female human with young. Her young had strayed. The child did not want sleep. He wanted his mother.

Wearily, I glanced up to the ceiling. That was a long way up… Humans were supposed to be fragile. How did he survive? On second thought, I didn't care. I had enough concerns to deal with. Like the boy… What was I to do with him? Father had never instructed me on what to do in this circumstance. And coming up with a solution on my own sounded like it'd take too long.

"What a pain," I groaned.

I'd take him to Father. He'd tell me what to do.

I stood, bending to pick the boy up. He let me, his tiny arms immediately going around my neck and his legs around my waist. I'd intended to hold him over my shoulder…but he was already settled, his head on my shoulder. Maybe he'd fall asleep on the way?

"Mommy," the boy sniffled again as if calling for her. It puzzled me as to why he would call for her when she was obviously not there. Envy might be right; humans were simple minded. Or maybe just this boy? Surely I had been smarter as a child.

My foot had been raised to go forward, but I paused in mid-stride.

When…I was a child?

Homunculi didn't age, as far as I knew. And I had been alive for a very short time in comparison to my brethren. Where had that thought originated from?

"Let sleeping dogs lie," I muttered, returning to my new mission. I took off at a blinding speed, causing the boy to cry out. His arms squeezed tight around me, more whimpers in my ear. I didn't think he liked how fast we were going. He was probably concerned because if I let him go at this speed it could seriously hurt him. I didn't know what to do about it, make his worry stop or slow down or something. Slowing down was not an option. I needed this matter dealt with quickly so I could get back to digging. I had to keep digging so I could finally sleep. And we were far from Central. It'd take a while at even this rate.

Hours slipped by just as the walls of the tunnel did. The boy eventually adapted and fell asleep. He was easier to deal with when he was sleeping. I hoped he'd stay asleep until we got there. Who knows, perhaps I could join him in slumber when we arrived? My tired eyes desperately wished so.

We approached Central, my pace dwindling to a steady jog. The sewers surrounded us. Father was not far off now…

"What are you doing here?" a voice snapped.

I stopped altogether in a four-way intersection of tunnels, turning to see Envy approaching down the one to my right. There wasn't much reason for him to come down here, making this a rare sight. Add the fact Lust and Gluttony followed close behind in the shadows made me question why they were here. Probably to discuss something important with Father. I wasn't sure what they did on the surface. Something about ensuring all of the pieces were in place for the Promised Day, gathering sacrifices. Other sorts of things I cared not for.

"A boy fell in the tunnel," I explained, nodding towards the child in my arms. He stirred, blinking dazedly around until his eyes fell on the others. "I didn't know what to do with him."

"Do with him?" Envy sneered. "You wasted precious time for that? Give the brat to me. I'll show you what to do with him."

I let Envy take the boy from me, unsure of what he was going to do, but I watched, a bit bored. The child cried out at the rough handling, his hands attempting to cling to me. Envy's grip around his collar was absolute and within seconds the boy hung from the air. He began to cry again…

"Honestly, Sloth. Have you no sense at all?" Envy asked, the question more rhetorical than anything. His free hand grabbed the boy's neck, his fingers squeezing like iron bands, "When you find a roach, you squash it. Plain and simple."

The boy's tiny hands scratched at Envy's pale, strong hand. He was choking, making odd squeaking noises. They were most unpleasant. I frowned at it all, giving my utmost attention for once.

Envy chuckled darkly before tossing the child to Gluttony. Pudgy arms caught him easily as the boy coughed and gasped. He began outright sobbing. These were even more unpleasant, churning my stomach into uncomfortable twists. It wasn't that I found them annoying… It was… Hm, I couldn't put my finger on it. I simply didn't like it.

Gluttony began to drool, his round, gleeful eyes looking at Envy, "I can eat him?!"

"Sure! Chow down to your heart's content," Envy grinned, his teeth looking sharp and menacing.

That was all the incentive the hungry sin needed.

"Sloth!" the boy screamed shrilly, confusion and something else ringing in his young voice. His eyes turned to me, seeking for me to…something. I saw the moment those blue eyes went wide in agony as the first chunk of flesh was bitten.

He'd…remembered my name?

_That's not my name._

But…it's what I am.

_That's not my name._

That's what they call me.

_They're killing him._

I watched the blood splatter across Gluttony's black attire, his chubby cheeks and wide mouth dripping with the liquid. Teeth sunk into vocal cords, silencing the boy. His eyes rolled back as his throat was ripped out.

I'd never seen a creature die…human or otherwise… It looked so…painful… And now the boy was…gone? He wasn't calling out my name anymore…

_That's not my name._

An odd shiver ran down my spine, over my bones, to my very fingertips. My hands shook slightly. My insides quivered. A strange sensation filled me. For a brief second, I wasn't in the sewers anymore. Brightness surrounded a figure, a figure drenched in golden sunlight. A smile framed by a grizzled beard flashed across a face I couldn't make out. His words fell on deaf ears as a hand reached out as if to pat my head.

_So warm…_

I snapped back to reality, the force nearly giving me whiplash. No one had noticed. Nothing had changed. The others were standing nearby, oblivious while they watched Gluttony finish his meal. And here I stood, not breathing, my body breaking out into a cold sweat. A tingling sensation coursed through my mind, through my limbs. I felt the most energized I'd ever felt.

But everything felt so wrong.

As Gluttony licked his fingers, Envy glanced at me. He elbowed me in the side none too gently, "What's with that look on your face?"

I blinked, finally taking in a breath. I shrugged, "I've never seen death before."

Envy gave me a feral smile, "Beautiful, isn't it?"

I didn't know much of beauty, but I doubted my taste coincided with Envy's on what was beautiful.

"As fun as this has been, it's time we should be leaving," Lust spoke, her steps gliding past Envy and I. "Come Gluttony." Gluttony obeyed, lumbering behind her.

"Get back to work," Envy ordered me brusquely. He began walking after the other two, throwing one last comment over his shoulder, "Oh, and remember what I said."

They disappeared, leaving me standing there for the longest time.

"When you find a roach…squash it," I repeated softly. I turned around, my eyes attracted to the gleaming blood spatters left behind from the boy. "But who are the roaches…and who are the ones to squash them…?" I knew good and well what Envy would think of that. But what did _I_ think of that? I couldn't say. Staring at the boy's blood, a puddle of it dripping into the dirty sewer water…that same image entered my mind, the one I'd seen when Gluttony had been eating the child.

I crouched beside the puddle, watching it with distant interest as the red liquid dripped gradually over the edge. The sewer water may have been diluted with all sorts of contamination, but I could still make out my reflection. The pale face framed by dark hair…the purple eyes…

The eyes turned brown.

I blinked my eyes rapidly and, sure enough, my eyes were purple once more. It must have been my imagination. And the water wasn't the best reflector. Come to think of it, this was the first time I'd ever seen my own face. It looked…foreign. Unfamiliar. Wrong…

_That's not my face_.

I rubbed at my face with a gloved hand. I wore fingerless, black leather gloves. Most of my clothes were black leather as well, save for the fitted cotton tank top underneath my open vest. My shorts, reaching to nearly my knees, were the same black leather as my vest. On the back of the shorts was an extra piece of material that ran from waist to ankles, acting as a partial skirt. My short, bulky shoes completed the outfit. These were the clothes I'd worn since I became a homunculus.

I frowned. The way that last thought was worded…sounded odd.

I shook my head. I hadn't thought this much since…well, ever. Everything about this felt wrong and it unsettled me deeply. I just wanted to go to sleep.

But not here. I'd go back to my tunnels, a place where I wouldn't be compelled to think. All that waited for me there was digging.

I took off the way I'd come, my pace faster than when I'd been traveling mere minutes ago. I didn't stop once, and the entire way there the strange sensations never left me.

Something within me had shifted…I just didn't know what.

* * *

**And so it has begun. **

**I'm considering doing shorter chapters like this for this story than I usually do, that way I might can update faster. We'll see how well that goes. But I wanted to get this chapter out fast because of all the great support this story has already gotten. Thanks to all the people who reviewed/faved/alerted this! This one's for you!**

**Hope you guys liked this chappy. I tried really hard to dig deep for Sloth's character. Oh, and if you didn't notice, yeah, she's got the same powers as the canon Sloth did. She even acts like him at times because...well, she's Sloth! So last chapter I asked what sin you would be. This time I'm asking what power you'd like to have out of the seven sins (plus Sloth and Wrath from the original anime). Ultimate shield? Turn into water? Ability to eat anything? Me, I'd personally love to have the ultimate eye. Then I'd have no problem seeing the bugs that are hiding around my house. *shudders***


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